SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia has stopped beef and poultry imports from four Brazilian companies over concerns about food safety after accusations that individuals had been bribed to allow sales of rotten and salmonella-tainted meats.

Following a two-year investigation of Brazil's meatpacking industry, police have accused more than 100 people, mostly health inspectors, of taking bribes for allowing the sale of rancid products, falsifying export documents or failing to inspect meatpacking plants, according to ArabianBusiness.com.

"This measure was taken in the interest of citizens' and residents' safety," a statement from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, carried by Saudi Arabia's official news agency SPA late on Wednesday, said of the halt to imports.

Biosecurity is defined as actions undertaken to prevent the introduction of disease. At Cobb, we take biosecurity very seriously because we know it is directly linked to the health and well-being of our chickens. It can also help keep our team members safe from disease. We continuously evaluate and incorporate new technology and methods at our facilities and within our quality assurance programs.